Perfecting Your Lawnmower Beer (recipe included)
When the sun’s blazing and the grass is freshly cut, there’s nothing more satisfying than cracking open a crisp, cold beer. Enter: the lawnmower beer—light, refreshing, and designed for drinkability after a hot day outside. This summer, let’s dial it in and brew a lawnmower beer that’s clean, crushable, and deceptively simple. The recipe for our "Summer Crusher" is included at the end.
☀️ What Makes a Great Lawnmower Beer?
A lawnmower beer isn’t a style—it's a vibe. The ideal lawnmower beer is:
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Low to moderate in alcohol (4–5% ABV)
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Light in body and color
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Crisp and clean with minimal bitterness
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Slightly bready, grainy, or corny malt backbone
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Finishes dry and refreshing
Think cream ale, kölsch, American blonde ale, or even a light pilsner.
🛒 Ingredients We Recommend
✅ Base Malt
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Pilsner or American 2-Row: Clean and light foundation
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For cream ales, try flaked corn or flaked rice to dry it out and keep it light
🌾 Adjuncts
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Mecca Grade Lamonta or Pelton: Adds depth without heaviness
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A touch of Vienna or Munich for complexity
🍻 Hops
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Keep it subtle—20 IBUs or less
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Varieties like Liberty, Saaz, Hallertau, or Cascade for a light floral or citrusy edge
🧫 Yeast
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For fast, forgiving fermentation: Kveik strains like Voss or Lutra (especially in summer heat)
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Traditional picks: CellarScience CALI, Fermentis US-05, or a clean lager yeast (Imperial Global or Harvest) if you can keep it cool
🔧 Brewing Tips
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Keep It Simple – Avoid overcomplicating. One or two specialty malts max.
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Watch Your Temps – Ferment clean and cool. Kveik offers flexibility, but traditional yeasts want to stay <68°F.
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Carbonation is Key – Shoot for 2.5–2.7 volumes CO₂. That crisp fizz makes it super refreshing.
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Lager It (if you can) – Even ales benefit from a cold conditioning phase.
🍻 Wrap-Up
This summer, give your customers something they’ll actually want to sip after yard work. A well-made lawnmower beer is the ultimate proof that “simple” doesn’t mean “boring.”
Have questions or want help building the perfect recipe? Stop by the shop or drop us a line—we’d love to help you brew your best batch yet.
🍻 Summer Crusher — 5‑Gallon All‑Grain Recipe
Ingredients
Base & Specialty Grains
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Great Western Malting Premium 2‑Row – 9 lbs (clean, light malt backbone)
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BestMalz Vienna Malt – 1 lb (adds a touch of sweetness and roundness)
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Briess Malting Carapils – 8 oz (enhances head retention & body)
Hops
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Pellet hops — 0.75 oz at 60 min (estimate ~15 IBU; choose a mild variety like Saaz or Liberty—these are available in your pellet hops section)
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Pellet hops — 0.5 oz at 15 min
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Pellet hops — 0.5 oz at flameout (for aroma)
Yeast
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Wyeast 1056 American Ale – clean and crisp with mild citrus character, perfect for a crushable summer ale. CellarScience CALI and Fermentis US 05 are good dry yeast substitutes.
Mash & Boil Schedule
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Mash: 152°F for 60 minutes
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Mash out: 168°F for 10 minutes
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Sparge and collect ~6.5 gal wort
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Boil: 60-minute total
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Add first hop charge at 60 minutes
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Add second hop charge at 15 minutes
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Add flameout hops and 1 Whirlfloc tablet at end of boil
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Cool to ~68°F
Fermentation 🧫
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Pitch Wyeast 1056 at 66–68°F
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Primary fermentation: ~2 weeks, allow temp to drop slightly (62–65°F) toward finish
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Cold crash for 48 hours before packaging to improve clarity
Final Specs
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Original Gravity: ~1.048
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Final Gravity: ~1.010
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ABV: ~4.9%
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IBU: ~22–25
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SRM: ~5–6 (pale and sunny)
Packaging & Carbonation
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Bottle: prime to ~2.5 vols CO₂ (dry, fizzy finish ideal for yard-sipping)
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Keg: carbonate accordingly
Why It Works
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Clean-base malts keep it light and approachable
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Vienna and Carapils add slight malt interest and foam stability
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Low bitterness + light aroma hops = crisp finish
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Wyeast 1056 delivers a refreshing, easy-drinking profile
